Sheet feeder that ensures execution of sheet feeding with more certainty by feeding retry process and image processing apparatus including the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9963310-B2
Application number	US-201715454583-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 9, 2017
Priority date	Apr 15, 2016
Publication date	May 8, 2018
Grant date	May 8, 2018

Abstract

A sheet feeder includes a sheet platen, a pickup roller, a feeding roller, a regulating portion, a driving mechanism, a feeding control unit, a sheet sensor, and a determination processing unit. The feeding control unit executes a feeding operation by rotationally driving the pickup roller and the feeding roller in a state where the regulating portion is located at a retreating position. The sheet sensor is located at a downstream side in the feeding direction of the feeding roller. The determination processing unit determines whether the sheet feeding has succeeded or not based on a signal from the sheet sensor. After a start of the feeding operation, when the determination processing unit determines that the sheet feeding has failed, the feeding control unit once moves the regulating portion located at the retreating position to the abutting position and then executes the feeding operation again.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sheet feeder comprising:
a sheet platen on which a sheet is placed;
a pickup roller that sends out the sheet from the sheet platen in a predetermined feeding direction;
a feeding roller that feeds the sheet sent out by the pickup roller in the feeding direction;
a feeding route of the sheet positioned between the pickup roller and the feeding roller;

a regulating portion movable between a retreating position where the regulating portion does not obstruct the conveyance of the sheet and an abutting position where the regulating portion abuts on the sheet placed on the sheet platen through an intermediate position which is a position that intersects with the feeding route at the downstream side in the feeding direction of the abutting position;
a driving mechanism that rotationally drives the pickup roller and the feeding roller and moves the regulating portion between the retreating position and the abutting position;
a feeding control unit that executes a feeding operation by rotationally driving the pickup roller and the feeding roller in a state where the regulating portion is located at the retreating position;
a sheet sensor located at a downstream side in the feeding direction of the feeding roller; and
a determination processing unit that determines whether the sheet feeding has succeeded or not based on a signal from the sheet sensor,
wherein after a start of the feeding operation, when the determination processing unit determines that the sheet feeding has failed, the feeding control unit once moves the regulating portion located at the retreat position in a direction opposite to the feeding direction through the intermediate position and temporarily moves the regulating portion to the abutting position so as to pushes the sheet back in the direction opposite to the feeding direction and then executes the feeding operation again,
the pickup roller is movable between a paper feeding position where the pickup roller abuts on a top surface of the sheet placed on the sheet platen and a standby position apart from the top surface of the sheet placed on the sheet platen,
the driving mechanism moves the regulating portion from the retreating position to the abutting position in conjunction with movement in which the pickup roller moves from the paper feeding position to the standby position,
the driving mechanism is configured such that as a drive shaft of the feeding roller rotates in a first direction, the pickup roller moves to the paper feeding position while the regulating portion moves to the retreating position, and as the drive shaft of the feeding roller rotates in a second direction opposite to the first direction, the pickup roller moves to the standby position while the regulating portion moves to the abutting position,
the driving mechanism includes:
a frame turnably supported to the drive shaft of the feeding roller;
a spindle rotatably supported to a part at the upstream side in the feeding direction of the drive shaft of the feeding roller at the frame, so as to support the regulating portion;
a rotation shaft rotatably supported to a part at the upstream side in the feeding direction of the spindle at the frame, so as to support the pickup roller;

a first transmission member that transmits a rotary drive power of the drive shaft of the feeding roller to the rotation shaft;
a second transmission member that transmits a rotary drive power of the drive shaft of the feeding roller to the spindle; and
a cam supported to the drive shaft of the feeding roller,

the sheet feeder is configured such that as the rotary drive power output from the driving unit rotationally drives the drive shaft of the feeding roller in the first direction, the frame is turned in the first direction by the cam so as to move the pickup roller to the paper feeding position, and the spindle is rotated in the first direction by the cam and the second transmission member, so as to move the regulating portion to the retreating position, and
the sheet feeder is configured such that as the rotary drive power output from the driving unit rotationally drives the drive shaft of the feeding roller in the second direction, the frame is turned in the second direction by the cam so as to move the pickup roller to the standby position, and the spindle is rotated in the second direction by the cam and the second transmission member, so as to move the regulating portion to the abutting position.

2. The sheet feeder according to claim 1 ,
wherein after the start of the feeding operation, when the determination processing unit determines that the sheet feeding has failed in spite of repeating the feeding operation a predetermined number of times, the feeding control unit once moves the regulating portion located at the retreating position to the abutting position and then executes the feeding operation again.

3. The sheet feeder according to claim 1 ,
wherein a surface in contact with the sheet at an upstream side in the feeding direction of the regulating portion in a state located at the abutting position is depressed-shaped.

4. An image processing apparatus comprising:
the sheet feeder according to claim 1 ; and
an image processing unit that includes at least one of: an image reading unit that reads an image of a sheet fed by the sheet feeder, and an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet fed by the sheet feeder.

Assignees

• Kyocera Document Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Hanamoto Katsuhiko

Classifications

• B65H3/0607 Primary

  cooperating with means for automatically separating the pile from roller or rotary separator after a separation step · CPC title

• B65H3/0684

  on moving support, e.g. pivoting, for bringing the roller or like rotary separator into contact with the pile · CPC title

• B65H2404/1521

  rotating, pivoting or oscillating around an axis, e.g. parallel to the roller axis · CPC title

• B65H3/0669 Primary

  Driving devices therefor · CPC title

• B65H2513/52

  Age; Duration; Life time or chronology of event · CPC title